Adrian Gilstrap’s 4-year-old daughter Niyah seriously believes she’s her daddy’s boss lady. In her defense, his food trailer is named after her, Niyah’s Southern Cuisine. “She says I work for her,” Adrian says, flashing a proud-papa smile. “Before she was even born, I made her a promise that everything I do is gonna be about Niyah.”

In the case of Gilstrap’s food trailer, which serves righteous soul-food, he’s honoring her name well.

The must-dos at Niyah’s Southern Cuisine start with the fried chicken. This is grandma’s-table-worthy fried chicken. Crispy-tasty exterior with crystalline edge crunch, tender-juicy interior but not greasy. All aces.

“I just cook like I want to eat, you know?” Gilstrap tells me before a recent lunch service. We’re sitting at one of the patio tables set up next to the Niyah’s food trailer, which is painted barn-red and about the size of a backyard shed.

Gilstrap’s chicken magic is in his deft touch and personal seasoning blend. He uses a flour-based batter and fries with plain ol’ canola oil, so nothing crazy going on there. “It’s about being consistent,” says Gilstrap, who’s clad head-to-toe in black including a backwards baseball cap.

The side items at Niyah’s are happening, too. Niyah’s three-piece fried chicken – I’ve been served both breast, thigh, wing and breast, thigh, leg chassis – comes with two sides. (You get a store-bought dinner roll, too. But save your space for the house-made awesomeness.)

Side-wise, I went with fried okra and queso mac and cheese. Like the bird here, the okra is very much straight-outta-Nana’s-kitchen. Soft crunch, salty kicks, no oil spill. As the queso mac and cheese’s name suggests, it’s a Tex-Mex spin on the classic Southern side. A semi-genius remix of two hugely popular sapors/styles in one forkful.

Other stuff on the Niyah’s menu includes fried pork chops, smoked ribs and fried catfish. The smoked meatloaf’s delectable and tangy. Other sides in play include potato salad, coleslaw and, Gilstrap’s personal fave, candied yams. The menu prices are upper-low to mid-level for the current Huntsville market.

On Wednesdays, Niyah’s can be found parking in the Packards Antiques parking lot, at 11110 Memorial Pkwy. S.W. It’s on the southbound side of the Parkway, next to a Pep Boys Auto store and across from Family Jewelry & Loan pawn shop. It’s situated where the popular Pepper Pig food trailer was, before ascending to brick-and-mortar earlier this year.

Gilstrap grew up in the restaurant business. His dad, Leroy Gilstrap, owned and ran a spot called Leroy’s Southern Cuisine in the restaurant space inside a local Regency Inn.

Adrian started working at his pop’s place when he was 12 or 13, making meatloaf and potato salad. The second part of Niyah’s Southern Cuisine is tip of the hat to Leroy, who died in 2013.

During Leroy’s career, he also operated a barbecue restaurant on Huntsville’s Northside and hotdog truck at Southside marina Ditto Landing. At one point, the patriarch was even involved with a spectacularly named local club called Chocolate City. “I wish my father was doing this with me now,” Adrian, a ‘97 Lee High School grad says, referring to Niyah’s.

Along the way, Adrian has cooked everywhere from Huntsville Country Club to SideTracks Music Hall to a local Dave & Buster’s. His earner journey also included a stint working at retail behemoth Target, which he says informed his approach to customer service.

Adrian started Niyah’s Southern Cuisine with just 250 bucks. The deli section inside a Southside gas station became available and he went for it. As luck would have it though, this happened just as the pandemic reared its demon head.

Fate intervened in a sweeter way when, while Adrian working the kitchen at Madison’s Bowler Hat Brewing Company. There, he met Albert Toh, Huntsville’s high priest of hot dogs and the proprietor of New South food truck. “I’m blessed to have Albert in my life,” Adrian says.

Toh and Adrian struck up a connection and partnered to launch Niyah’s as a food trailer this spring. Toh also added the food truck Touchdown BBQ and Level Up Burgers to his growing rolling empire.

“He’s plugged in everywhere and just to add this to his umbrella man, it’s wonderful,” Adrian says of Toh.

In addition to Wednesdays on South Parkway, Niyah’s recently landed key gigs with the NASA’s Redstone Arsenal and Orion Amphitheater.

Adrian says the food industry’s ups and valleys are worth it because of the positive energy a good meal can transmit. “If you’re having a bad day and my food makes you feel better,’ he tells me, “I’m happy with that.”

Like many mobile food ventures, Niyah’s Southern Cuisine’s days, hours and location of operation are fluid and often change weekly. Check their Facebook page for updates and more info.

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